REVEALING THE WORLD OF ONCOLOGICAL TREATMENT THROUGH DRAMATIC THERAPEUTIC PLAY

Marileise Roberta Antoneli Fonseca,Luciana De Lione Melo,Claudinei José Gomes Campos,Vanessa Pellegrino Toledo,Circéa Amália Ribeiro

doi:10.1590/0104-0707201500003350014

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to understand the play of the preschool child undergoing oncological treatment through dramatic therapeutic play. A total of five preschool age children with cancer participated in the dramatic therapeutic play sessions, between January and May 2013. The material was analyzed using the framework of phenomenology: analysis of the structure of the phenomenon in place. The following categories emerged from the sessions: Immersing oneself in the world of the disease and the oncological treatment; and Remembering the world without the disease. The study learned that becoming ill with cancer is a process which generates pain and suffering for the child, leading her to feel small and fragile in the face of the discomforts of the numerous procedures to which she is subjected. Therapeutic play was an important resource for revealing how the child with cancer feels during the treatment, and showed the children's difficulty in interacting with the unknown, and how this difficulty makes the balance between the points of health and illness complex.

Highlights

Cancer stands out because of its high incidence, being the second greatest cause of death in children and adolescents between one and 19 years of age.[1]
In the light of these questions, this study aimed to understand the play of the preschool age child undergoing oncological treatment through dramatic therapeutic play
The following categories emerged from the understanding of the play of the preschool children undergoing oncological treatment through Dramatic Therapeutic Play: Immersing oneself in the world of the disease and the oncological treatment; and Remembering the world without the disease

Summary

Introduction

Cancer stands out because of its high incidence, being the second greatest cause of death in children and adolescents between one and 19 years of age.[1]. Cancer does not necessarily interrupt the process of child development, some physical and psychosocial restrictions imposed by the disease and by the treatment can delay it. The care for the child undergoing oncological treatment must provide physical, social, environmental and psychospiritual comfort.[3]. One study used computer games to help children with cancer deal with the stress of hospitalization, and concluded that the emotional conditions are essential in recovering health, both in the treatment and in the way in which the disease was consolidated in the child’s imagination.[4] With a focus on this care, which promotes the emotional integrity of the child with cancer, the health actions must provide healthy growth and development.[4]

Objectives

Methods

Results